Care and feeding of your instruments?

[Ranger Roger]

I am curious how everyone takes care of their instruments. I know we have a wide range of instruments based upon quality and construction, but what kind of care do you provide for your instruments and what products do you use? As you know there are a wide variety of products out there so if you like a certain product, why?

[Josh Levine]

it'll eat anything that is gluten free.

[MikeEdgerton]

I use a damp cloth and a dry cloth to clean my instruments.

[Tobin]

Microfiber cloth, lightly damp if necessary. Nothing else needed on the wood. I always lightly oil my strings with Fast Fret (mineral oil) when I'm done playing to keep rust at bay. The applicator and cloth help keep the strings clean.

The rattlesnake rattle inside my mandolin doesn't need any feeding.

[George R. Lane]

Number one thing - humidify. Number two thing - humidify. Then a wipe with a soft clean cloth. That is all I do. Oh yeah, I change strings every once in a while.

[gtani7]

The rattlesnake rattle inside my mandolin doesn't need any feeding.

for the rattle reference, you need to watch this DVD (it's not in the short youtube excerpt tho_) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPgJdHQrRjg

[Ivan Kelsall]

Twice a year,i usually remove the strings & bridge,polish the frets with a Silver polishing cloth,oil the fingerboard with Teak oil & wipe it off immediately.This just gives the f/board a bit of colour back.If the mandolin's got a few fingermarks,i polish them off with a soft duster & i'll maybe use a tiny bit of Beeswax polishing cream all over to give it a nice shine. Nothing radical,but it does keep them looking nice. My 8 year old Weber "Fern" still looks like new apart from some fret wear,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

This, oh and the string cleaner I use is Dr Duck's AxWax.

[UsuallyPickin]

Hmmm .... I use a damp wash cloth and a dry washcloth. I bought a bundle of inexpensive white ones at WalMart a few years ago and I still have plenty. I generally change my strings every three or four months. Once a year I take all the strings off , oil the fretboard with lemon oil, clean the body headstock and neck with a non silicone instrument polish and restring. I live in Kentucky so low humidity isn't much of an issue. I do keep track of the humidity in Winter when I am heating the house but rarely need to do anything for my mandolins. Fiddles react a little sooner to humidity levels so I keep a dampit in my fiddle...... R/

[slk]

I use Fast Fret on all of my stringed instruments after playing them. It keeps all the rust and tarnish off of the strings. I do use mineral oil on my fret boards once a year. I use that Dunlop 65 polish when ever I start to see lots of smudges. I do wash my hands before using my instruments, only because I am usually into so much stuff in my shop I never know what is on my hands. Now I will say that I have my original 1964 Gibson Firebird that I bought new back then. I polished that thing with Gibson polish after every use, and it looks mint today. No checking at all it looks as if it just came off the line.

[BrianWilliam]

I use Finger Ease. The directions recommend spraying it directly on the fret board but that spray gets everywhere and makes a mess. So, I spray it on a soft rag and then apply. Then I use that rag and a little water to clean the rest of my mandolin.

[OldGus]

it'll eat anything that is gluten free.

Bring me your unwanted gluten, I'm still calling it food...

[Denny Gies]

Martin guitar polish then a dry rag. I always keep my mando in it's case when i'm not playing. It stays propped up against the bedroom wall.

[multidon]

My experience with polishes is that all they do is add scratches. I've tried just about every one of them. I have sworn off all polishes at this point. Dunlop 65 contains silicone, by the way. They shouldn't even be selling that for use on instruments. Another one to watch out for is Planet Waves Restore. It doesn't say whether it has abrasives.but claims to remove minor scratches. How can that be? I finally got their customer service to admit there were abrasives in it but I had to work hard to get them to finally fess up to it. Not using that either.

Most of the companies will not tell you what is in their polish. Why would you put something on your instrument when you don't know what's in it? Some don't have MSDS sheets, some do. Dr. Duck's Ax Wax, for example, does have an MSDS. It contains 100 percent "highly refined proprietary petroleum distillates". Gee, thanks guys. Do you have any idea how many different types of petroleum distillates there are? That's not going on my instrument.

My experience with a dry cloth is that it adds scratches too, from dust and other contamination. So really I am at a loss what to do at this point, especially on highly glossed nitro. Just dry wiping catalyzed finishes and matte nitro seems to go ok. But glossy nitro gets scratched no matter what I do. I have been using cotton flannel. Does microfiber do any better? And there are many types of microfiber. Is there a specific type that is best for instruments and absolutely will not cause it's own scratches?

As for strings, I just use coated sets and change them when they start sounding bad. No cleaning other than a dry wipe. They last a couple of months at least. That works for me. With the newer thin coatings I don't think sound or feel is noticeably different.

[J Mangio]

For ease of access, I leave two mandos on stands in different parts of my home 24/7. When needed, I use a feather duster to clean my mandos.
I live in a climate controlled house with a humidistat, which maintains the
humidity between 45 and 55, so humidity is a non issue.

[allenhopkins]

Well, I have about six dozen stringed instruments -- guitars, banjos, mandolins, and other types -- so any particular instrument gets, at best, very occasional "care."

I do store them in their cases, in a basement room that has the highest relative humidity in the house. Run a dehumidifier in the summer, nothing in the winter. So far, over the forty years I've lived in this house and kept instruments in this fashion, no problems with dryness; one flooding problem about a decade ago, causing some slight damage to a K-1 mandocello and a Thornburg gourd banjo.

Of the instruments I use regularly, I wipe down with a damp cloth at each string change, sometimes a bit more aggressive on the fretboard to remove finger glop, and use a very light spray of Martin guitar polish. That's about it. There's a sub-group of about twenty instruments that get regular (at least monthly) use, and my standard "gigging package" of guitar, banjo and ukulele is out with me about four-five times a week. These get frequent attention, while some others that I pull out maybe once a year, get a lot less.

Must confess that I look upon my musical instruments as tools, to be used, valued but not coddled. So the ones I use regularly have a naturally inflicted "distressing," and I don't worry about that a bit.

[Bob A]

In cases when not being played. Evaporative humidifier runiing in the room they live in when heating system is on. Central A/C to keep humidity in reasonable range in summer.

In the unlikely situation where they'd need cleaning, gentle rub with slightly damp soft cloth. A bit of fingerboard oil once every couple years if the board looks dried out.

Turtle wax once in a while on the National guitars. Armrests or long sleeved shirts to keep perspiration off the instruments. No polish, wax, or the like.

[pointpergame]

... I have been using cotton flannel. Does microfiber do any better? And there are many types of microfiber. Is there a specific type that is best for instruments and absolutely will not cause it's own scratches?
.

I have a little insight into this precise question from having studied automobile finishes. It's easy to get compulsive about this, but on the other hand it only takes a little attention and insight to avoid scratches. I've found the best cloth source for that purpose is freshly-washed, well-worn woven cotton underpants or tee shirts. I use white so I can visually check them for cleanliness and contamination both at the start as as the wiping proceeds. The problem with many microfiber cloths is the somewhat hard synthetic thread used in their hems. I don't use them in any case because they can pick up little scratcher particles on the trip from the original package to the work site.

[Drew Egerton]

I've found the best cloth source for that purpose is freshly-washed, well-worn woven cotton underpants or tee shirts. I use white so I can visually check them for cleanliness and contamination both at the start as as the wiping proceeds.

While I agree with your point, taken out of context this sentence had me struggling to control my laughter at work.
I actually have a blue cloth that came from Larrivee with a guitar that I use. I used to use the Dunlop 65 stuff but decided it wasn't doing much of anything.

[Eric C.]

This thread is guilt-tripping me into cleaning up my mandolin this evening. Which I will do by removing all the strings, using microfiber cloth to give it a good gently wipe down.

[Tobin]

My experience with polishes is that all they do is add scratches.

...

My experience with a dry cloth is that it adds scratches too, from dust and other contamination. So really I am at a loss what to do at this point...

Well shoot, I reckon there ain't nothing to do but put your mandolin in a dust-proof display case and just look at it.

Either that or just play the darn thing and don't fash yourself with trying to keep it pristine.

[mandroid]

I'm warned about High tides offering Salmon crossing the roads cautions , so Humidity is not a problem..

Here we can ask " Why did The Salmon Cross the road?"

[Kevin Stueve]

this whole discussion reminds of a conversation I had with an old biker after I bought my first harley. I told how much time it was taking me to keep all that darn chrome shiny. His response was eventually you will get over that and just ride.

so just play. :D

[catmandu2]

I am curious how everyone takes care of their instruments.

..

[Mandobart]

I keep my instruments hanging in my instrument room, maintained at 69 - 71F. 45 - 55% relative humidity. Those that humidify without a hygrometer are like those that heat their instruments without a thermometer. I wipe down my instruments (assorted fiddles, mandos, OM's, mandocellos and guitars) with a slightly damp terry cloth or cotton bandana. Once a year or so I clean them with Howard's Orange oil. I also treat the fingerboards with this periodically. Many of my instruments have speed necks and they get Tung or Linseed oil maybe once a year.